Dr. Asakawa joined IBM Japan, Ltd. in 1985 and developed the world's first practical voice browser, 'IBM Home Page Reader' in 1997. She earned her doctorate in Advanced Interdisciplinary Engineering from the University of Tokyo in 2004. In 2009, she became the first Japanese female IBM Fellow, the highest position for an IBM engineer. Since 2014, she has held the position of IBM Distinguished Service Professor at Carnegie Mellon University and transferred to the IBM Watson Research Center in the U.S. in 2018. Dr. Asakawa began concurrently serving as Chief Executive Director of the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan) in April 2021, where she established the Accessibility Lab. She is currently working on the research and development of the AI Suitcase, a navigation robot for the visually impaired. She has been inducted into the Women In Technology International Hall of Fame, received the Medal of Purple Ribbon from Japanese government, and was admitted to the National Inventors Hall of Fame.'